


Tutoring

by Rshinystars



Series: Consequence [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Café, Gen, Good Ardyn Izunia, How Do I Tag, I don't know, I just tend to like writing dialogue than fluffy descriptions, M/M, Tutoring, ardyn isn't a jerk, i think, kind of dialogue heavy, nice!Ardyn, this is an old piece though so i've gotten better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-14 22:02:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17516648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rshinystars/pseuds/Rshinystars
Summary: Noctis tells Ignis of his plans, Ignis isn’t happy.





	Tutoring

**Author's Note:**

> Picks up where it left off in the previous one so read those before this!  
> Honestly, contemplated even posting this or continuing this because I didn't necessarily like where I was going or this particular piece, but here it is!   
> I may continue this AU, but I'll probably end up rewriting what I have so it may be a while.

“Ignis,” Noctis calls out as he hears the doors open to his apartment.

It was more of a surprised sound than anything. Ignis was early, he was planning on just sneaking out and dealing with Ignis later. That plan went down the drain. 

The prince looks at the time. If he stalls, then he won’t be able to do any preparation for this, and Noctis really doesn’t feel like have to deal with Ignis scolding him for not being able to remember a diplomat’s name.

“Noct,” Ignis walks into the apartment carrying bags. As soon as Ignis sees Noctis he questions him, “Are you going somewhere? You’ve already finished training with Gladio correct?”

Noctis shrugs, “Yeah, I have.”

Ignis sets his bags down and stares at Noctis intently, “Then, why do you look like you’re going back out?” When, Noctis doesn’t answer, Ignis sighs and moves to get a closer look at Noctis. His back turned to the bespectacled man, Noctis tries to avoid eye contact with him. “Noctis, I do not know where you are going when you have an important council meeting coming up in two days.”

“I’m aware,” Noctis groans. He knew this was coming, but honestly, he doesn’t want to have to deal with this. If Ignis is on edge, then he’s in for an earful.

“Noctis, whatever you have planned for the night—“

Noctis interjects, “It’ll help me for the meeting.”

“And how is that?”

The feeling is there. The tension is growing. Noctis knows that Ignis is frustrated. Whenever Ignis is frustrated, it gets hard to talk to him. Noctis doesn’t want to have to deal with this. He doesn’t really have time to go through this nor the patience.

“I know people,” Noctis mutters.

“Like who?” Ignis interrogates. “If this is just so you can hang out with Prompto, I cannot accept this. Tell him that you have important things to take care of.”

“ _ Ignis _ ,” the prince sighs in annoyance. “I get it. This is important. I’m not playing around. I got this.”  _ I think. _

Ignis rubs his eyes and takes off his glasses as he sits down in the chair. He rests his arms on his knees leaning his head on his hands. Obvious annoyance is filtering into his features. Frustration ignited in his eyes. Contemplating how to talk to Noctis and figure what exactly the prince can be planning at such an important time.

“Why don’t you just let me handle this?” Noctis asks in the end. “Just trust me on this one.”

Ignis doesn’t take his eyes off of Noctis, “It’s not as if I don’t have faith in you Noctis, but you still have so much to go through, I don’t think it’s best to do this alone.”

“Sure, okay,” Noctis groans. “I’m not necessarily doing it alone anyway. I’ll have all the stuff you printed out for me, and it’ll be fine.”

Noctis pulls out his phone and looks for the paper that Ardyn had given him earlier. He had forgotten about the fact that he would need to tell the man when. Twenty from now should be fine.

If he can get Ignis to just leave him alone.

“Not necessarily alone?” Ignis raises an eyebrow, “Who are you meeting with Noctis?”

“No one in particular,” Noctis admits.

Ignis sighs exasperated, “This secrecy is not getting us anywhere Noctis. Let’s begin talking through all of this stuff for the meeting.”

“Ignis,” Noctis repeats in frustration. “I got this taken care of. Don’t worry.”

When Noctis stands up, he can see Ignis begin to glare at him. In short movements, Noctis gathers everything that Ignis had brought him to learn within the next two days. In tense silence, Noctis makes for the door.

“If you aren’t prepared by the time of the meeting, Noctis,” Ignis begins as he hears the door open. “This won’t slide…” His voices fades off as Noctis closes the door.

Noctis knows that he’s just pissed off Ignis. He knows that when he gets back, he’s going to get an earful. Reprimanded for sneaking off who knows where without Ignis’s acknowledgement. Scolded for not taking Ignis’s advice. The bespectacled man probably thinks that Noctis is just slacking off and just wants to ignore his duties. Noctis checks his phone for any kind of acknowledgement from Ardyn.

_ Ardyn: Same location I’m assuming, Your Highness? _

Even through text he still sounds just as formal as he does when they speak in person.

_ Noctis: Yeah _

_ Noctis: And drop the ‘your highness’ thing pls. Just Noctis is fine _

Noctis thinks that maybe it is best that Ardyn doesn’t talk to him so informally. Yet, he doesn’t want this constant “your highness” or “your highness” thing to follow him around all the time. He’s already getting called “Prince Noctis” throughout his current high school career. He doesn’t need any more of that after hearing it every day of the week.  

_ Ardyn: As you wish. _

Even though he says that, Noctis knows he’s still probably going to call him that. To be honest, it suits Ardyn’s character. He’s a gentleman, no doubt. An odd one to say the least. Noctis doesn’t even know why he trusts him. Something in him tells him that he’s just a little off; yet, trusting him just came naturally.

Maybe it’s because he still thinks Ardyn saved him. Even if Ardyn has denied it countless times, he doesn’t know what other explanation there could possibly be.

And if he did heal Noctis, how?

Noctis walks into the café again. It seems to be a regular occurrence now. He supposes he can get used to this.

Just as Ardyn had said, he was there. Papers all over the table that he’s sitting at, a notebook filled with whatever important information on those papers, a cup of coffee that resembles the same one he had before he left.

“Ardyn,” Noctis says as he approaches the man. Ardyn looks up briefly from the paper he’s reading to look at the young prince calling him.

“Hello there, Your Highness,” Ardyn nods slightly seemingly preoccupied.

“Didn’t I just tell you to drop that?” Noctis asks sitting down across from him.

Ardyn peers at his phone, “That was 18 minutes ago. Calling you that only seems right. Forgive me if it truly annoys you.”

Noctis sighs supposing he can’t get mad at the man for just trying to be polite.

“It just alienates me,” Noctis says. “But if you feel that way, then I guess I can live with that.”

Ardyn chuckles as he sets his papers down and moves them for Noctis to have room, “I’ll try to work on that then.” He places everything to the side, “I’m amazed your advisor let you come here.”

Noctis shrugs, “He didn’t really. I kind of just left.”

An eyebrow rises, the older man asks, “Does he know that you left?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re a sneaky little prince, aren’t you?” Ardyn muses as Noctis pulls out everything Ignis had prepared for him. 

Noctis only hums as he files through everything. The amount of papers he has looks almost equivalent to Ardyn’s.

“Why do you love all this foreign policy stuff?” Noctis asks not the least interested in this respective subject.

Ardyn hums, “Knowing this stuff comes in handy when you travel. Plus, it’s always fascinating how people handle certain situations, no? May save you one day.”

“Just seems like busy work.”

“Perhaps,” Ardyn grabs for Noctis’s papers. “That could be entirely the case so I’m not always doing nothing…” He rubs his finger over his bottom lip as reads the papers.

Noctis inwardly groans. If he can’t get this within the next two days with a man who seems extremely patient, Noctis doesn’t know what he’ll do. In contrast to Ignis who has to deal with Noctis’s ignorance and will inevitably also be at fault, this man will have no consequence if he can’t help the prince understand something.

Except for maybe dealing with an angry prince.

Then again, that may also be a problem. He won’t have to deal with anybody except the prince if he doesn’t know all this information, so he really has no motivation to help the prince. It’s not like he can punish him for not helping him.

So really, why is he trusting this man?

“This doesn’t seem that difficult,” the man finally speaks. “I know this stuff myself, so it’ll be easy to run through…”

Noctis looks at him confused, “You know all this stuff? How? I thought some of this was classified.”

“You’d be amazed at how little is actually  _ classified _ in this world,” Ardyn winks at Noctis.

“Now, that’s suspicious,” Noctis says with a smirk.

Ardyn chuckles, a sound Noctis has grown accustomed to. That low chuckle with mirth. It’s a nice change in Noctis’s normal cycle of life. Hanging out with Prompto at the arcade, training with Gladio, learning with Ignis.

This is a nice change in pace.

“--start, Noctis?” Ardyn calls out.

“Oh, sorry, what?” Noctis shakes his head.

Ardyn places a paper down, “If we’re going to get anywhere, you’re going to have to focus with me, your highness.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Noctis apologizes. “I’m focused now, what was your question?”

“Where would you like to start?” Ardyn asks again with a small smile on his face.

Noctis scratches the back of his head, “Er, the beginning?”

Ardyn snorts and rubs his eyes, “ _ Oh _ , we have  _ much _ work to do.”

“You’re telling me.”

“Sit back and prepare yourself, your highness,” Ardyn says setting the papers in a specific order. Noctis has no clue how he’s organizing them all, but seeing how the man seems to know exactly how to organize this, Noctis feels a little hope.

And a lot of dread.

“Today and tomorrow are going to be stressful,” Ardyn takes a sip of his coffee. “I do believe we will be closing this café out. We may have to move to a different location eventually. Depends on how long you plan on working on this. Staying up late may not be the best course of action however…”

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Noctis bows his head. “Just—Whenever you want to leave, that’s fine. I’ll stay up as long as you’re willing.”

Ardyn smirks, “I’ll have you know, I do not sleep much. A day with no sleep is not impossible for me.” Noctis gulps slightly. “I suggest you enjoy yourself some caffeinated coffee. It may do you some good to help you stay up.”

Noctis nods as Ardyn waves over the waitress again, ordering for the both of them. Now that Noctis focuses on her, she seems to know him rather well.

He wonders how long Ardyn has actually been in Insomnia.

“Will your advisor be mad at you for being out so late?” the man asks with genuine curiosity.

“He doesn’t live with me, so I doubt he’ll know unless I tell him,” Noctis hopes that’s true. He hopes Ignis doesn’t wait at his apartment for him to return home.

“Well, let us hope that is the case,” Ardyn seems to notice Noctis’s lack of faith in his own words.

Noctis nods, “Right.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone that's still looking at this AU. @anonymous from the previous post, this one is for you.
> 
> Comment and leave kudos! They're appreciated and let me know I should continue this! Even if it takes me ages.
> 
> And question? Do people prefer short-ish fics (~1000-5000 word fics) or 5000+ fics? I never know what people enjoy reading. I tend to have longer fics and break them up like this, but at the same time I tend to hate reading short ones because I want more, but long ones I tend to skim even though I like them? I don't know, what do you guys think? 
> 
> May dictate future posts! All these are between ~1000-3000 words so far. Let me know if they should be longer or good as is.


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